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'SOS call', 'confession of defeat': What BJP leaders said on Mamata's letter
The letter is an SOS call to other parties as Mamata Banerjee has understood her party's ship in Bengal is sinking, BJP chief JP Nadda said.
A day before West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's assembly constituency Nandigram goes to the elections, a letter written by Mamata Banerjee urging several non-BJP leaders to be united against the BJP intensified political heat as BJP leaders considered the letter as a desperate call to be saved.
In the letter, written on March 28, Mamata wrote the BJP wants to make it "impossible for non-BJP parties to exercise their Constitutional rights and freedoms". "It wants to dilute the powers of State Governments and downgrade them to mere municipalities. In short, it wants to establish a ONE-PARTY AUTHORITARIAN RULE in India," the letter said.
Saying that everyone has a right to unite, BJP chief JP Nadda said the call to unite against BJP, however, signals something else.
"In a democracy, everybody has the right to unite those who share a similar ideology. But at this time, to ask everyone to unite against PM Modi and the BJP shows clear indication in elections. There's a saying in English 'Save Our Souls (SOS) or Save Our Ship (SOS)'. It means their ship is sinking. It is clear now that Mamataji has admitted that her ship is sinking in Bengal and she is in trouble and people of Bengal have decided to give an overwhelming verdict to the BJP," Nadda said.
"Democracy should be the last word in @MamataOfficial & @AITCofficial dictionary. Their cadre attack @BJP4Bengal candidates, intimidate voters, capture booths, block all hoardings and at the end leaders preach Democracy," BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh tweeted.
The letter has been sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Maharashtra CM Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand CM Hemant SorenDelhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Odishan CM Naveen Patnaik, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Reddy, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, DMK's MK Stalin, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, NC’s Farooq Abdullah, PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti and CPI(ML)’s Dipankar Bhattacharya.
"Congratulations Bengal. Now it is evident that Rohingya and intruder votes have fallen short for Mamada didi. As a confession of defeat, she has now sought help from all anti-BJP parties. Now there will be no game of appeasement. There will be vikas," BJP leader Giriraj Singh said.
